tabularasa_rp | open; goodbye to you

[ At first, it's not entirely apparent that everyone is gone. It's not really unusual for Ann not to see her friends for a few days at a time; despite their closeness, thick as thieves and the such, they do have their own lives and hanging out on a daily basis just isn't in the proverbial cards. But she hasn't heard their voices over the ley lines, and when she went to check up on Akechi and Ren, they weren't home. Neither were Yoshizawa or Haru.

She's searched, of course, to no avail. Her time is spent wandering; mostly, right now. Hanging outside the apartments, Kichijoji... and no luck.

When she's not in those places, she's at Heavenly Leblanc, sitting at her usual booth, staring towards the door as if expecting her friends to just walk through, laughing and telling her about some grand adventure that they had the audacity to go on without her. That's probably all it is, right? ]

[if only]

[Damien, at this point, is not so naïve. this isn't the first time, lately, that he's lost -- it's just his fucking luck that that trend would continue. first Melinoë, the first person he's loved since his ex-fucking-wife, then Akechi, his surrogate son, then Ren, one of the few people to actually see him]

[of course. of course]

[he says nothing, then, when he slides into the booth across from her. he just pushes a bottle of wine and a glass over the table towards her, Tifa's underaged drinking rules be damned. he imagines she's grieving, too]

[ She's really hoping this is some fluke. That they'll all show up again, just like Ren and Akechi had before. It hasn't been that long, after all. It could happen, a small part of her wants to think and desperately believe. The more logical part of her brain has her thinking otherwise; this feels different. It was only Ren and Akechi the last time. The addition of Haru and Yoshizawa this time around have made her feel more than a little anxious, and as a slightly flighty person as is, it's another reason she's been on the move nearly non stop save for the few hours she reserves for naps.

The more cynical part of her whispers terrible things, they left you, or they found a way home and didn't want you to come. She knows, of course, that isn't the case. They'd never do that, especially Ren and Haru. But the thought is there, surfaces every now and then and spikes her anxiety with things like frustration and misplaced anger.

She's so out of it she almost doesn't notice Damien at first. Not until there's a wine glass and a bottle of the good stuff slid towards her, and she blinks, quickly looking up and over at him and offering him a small, tired, sad smile.

He's noticed, too, then. ]

Thanks, Damien-san. Pretty quiet around here, huh?

[he flashes her a smile in return, though it's a brief thing, just as tired. it doesn't reach his eyes]

Give it a few days. I'm sure that boy will be back in here, trying to drink himself to death. [Blue, he means. last time Ren and Akechi went missing, Blue was drunk behind the counter. he ignored him, then. he might join him, this time]

Ah... I hope he'll be okay. I guess we'll have to keep an eye on him.

[ Because, honestly, the last thing they need is alcohol poisoning becoming a thing here, okay. Also, she's learned from accidental experience that hang overs are not a fun situation to be in. ]

...It's not just the boys this time, you know. [ Since she knows that Damien's noticed, too. She's not sure how well he knows -- knew Haru or Yoshizawa, or if he'd even met them, but. ] The two girls from our world aren't here anymore, either. I went to check on them but...

[ She glances off to the side and chews on her lower lip for a few seconds. ]

...I haven't given up hope just yet, and I'm not going to stop looking. But I don't... think they're coming back this time. It feels different.

[Damien hums -- right now, he could give a fuck about Blue]

[doubly so when she mentions the girls having gone home, too. he didn't know Haru, but -- ] Yoshizawa's gone? [ -- there goes his best hope of having his leg fixed. well, he supposes, now, that desperate times call for desperate measures. he has something in mind on that front, but he'd been sitting on it, trying to perfect it] Shame. [a beat] Sweet girl.

[that was totally his only interest, yep]

Yoshizawa-san is also gone, yes. Along with our other friend, Haru... everyone except for me seems to have disappeared. I'm feeling a little betrayed right now, honestly.

[ Not really. Mostly. She's got mixed feelings about it even though she knows Ren wouldn't willingly leave her here. ]

Admittedly, I didn't really know Yoshizawa-san that well. We got to work together a few times at home... we went to the same school briefly, too. But she was a very sweet girl. Is? She is. She's not here, not... dead.

[ She hopes. She's almost positive, at least. The last time, Ren and Akechi had gone home, so that's where she'd like to think they all went back to. ]

[he flashes her a brief, wry smile] I know the feeling.

[he, on the other hand, means that. it was bad enough, when everyone started moving out of the Merlaut, for all that that space is his by virtue of being from his world. the fact that Ren and Akechi disappeared after the former told him he wasn't alone and he confessed to the latter that he viewed him as a sort of son? well, it stings. more than]

[he's just -- going to have a mouthful of his wine, now, thanks]

[when he lowers the glass again, it's on a heavy breath out] At least you'll see them again, sooner or later. [he never will. not unless this place decides to pull them back]

I'm sorry, Damien-san. I know... this is really hard on you, too.

[ She knows that he was close to Ren and Akechi, at least. Especially so with Akechi, although she didn't talk to Akechi enough to really know just how close. But she knows enough to know that Damien is fond of him, and she's glad that at least for a brief period, Goro had had somewhat of a parental figure to lean against. He never got to have that at home, so... it's good, she thinks, that he had some sort of normalcy here. ]

Yeah... but maybe we all will. Who knows what this place is gonna do next? For all we know, it's going to link us all together one way or another. [ Nothing would surprise her after the shit she's seen at home AND here. Plus, that's not entirely a BAD thought; it'd be nice to be able to visit extended friends and family... if that could be a possibility. ]

You look lost.

[Ann seems to have been wandering around quite a bit, actually. Espio has mostly just left her to it while he attempts to transform a Kichijoji shop into a suitable living space, but eventually he feels he should try to say something - she looks almost as though she’s looking for something... or someone. He might not know her very well, but he thinks he might have a vague idea what could be wrong.

Unstable realities are not to be trusted, after all, and boy does Espio have a lot of experience dealing with them.]

Dare I ask what’s up?

Hm?

[ Ann's been so focused on the task at hand, that she's hardly noticed anyone or anything else in her path. She has no idea how many times she's passed poor Espio at this point, but when he finally speaks up it snaps her out of her thoughts and she pauses, literally mid-step, attention turning entirely onto him now. ]

Oh, Espio-san! Hello! Sorry... ah, it's not me whose lost, actually. It's... my friends. I can't find them anywhere, and I think that they're gone.

[ She glances off to the side, shifting a little bit. ]

Gone-gone, I mean. I've looked everywhere.

[Well, that confirms his suspicion, at least. A slight grimace crosses his face for a moment - oh, does he know that feeling.]

You’ve been wandering forever. They’re not going to magically reappear, you know. Well...

[A small shrug, because even that’s not exactly accurate.]

They might, but not when you expect it, and definitely not when you’re looking for ‘em. Take a break.

I know... I just wanted to make sure, I guess.

[ Checking every nook and cranny, all that good shit. She glances off to the side, because she knows what Espio means. And likely, they're not going to be back any time soon this time around. ]

Yeah. Last time, it took two weeks, and when they came back they weren't from the same timeline as me. That was only Ren and Akechi-kun that time, though... now, all four of them are gone. I don't think they're gonna come back this time. And... that's okay, because hopefully they're at home where they're needed. A break does sound nice, though.

What can I say, except welcome to life in unstable realities! Great, isn’t it, not knowing if the people here today’ll be here tomorrow... just gotta suck it up.

[He waves a hand vaugely - he doesn’t want to think about it..]

I’d offer a distraction, but right now all I’m doing is clearing out one of these units. You can help if you want, but you’re probably better off going for a run or something.

...Right.

[ Neither does she. The world she'd come from was apparently part of some strange, unstable reality bullshit too, and she'd disappeared from existence there ONCE. That's enough for her, thanks. ]

I can help you, if you want. Running's not really my thing, anyways... [ It was Ryuji's, but he's not here right now, thank God. He'd probably be more pissed off and manic than she is. ] What do you plan on doing here? Moving in?

[He's a little quiet for a moment, but there's really not much he can say on people vanishing beyond "shit happens, deal with it". It's not reassuring, but it's what he's had to do and the only way he can deal with it himself. After a moment, he sighs, and goes along with the change of subject.]

Yeah. Was kinda nice living the 'homeless wanderer' life for a bit, but it's got old now. Since it looks like I'm staying and this really isn't another great big mass illusion, best to make myself some space.

There's the apartments too, I guess, but they're too cramped. Like being back in dorms.

I... didn't mind the apartments. I mean, I don't? I still live there, but they're pretty small. I know that Seto was trying to expand his, since his neighbors [ Ren and Akechi, for the record-- ] moved out, but that takes a lot of time and work that I'm not willing to deal with, either. Renovation sucks.

[ She's glad for this change of subject, at least, and to have something to do, too. ]

Anyways, what all do you need help moving over? Because as much as renovation sucks... I know that moving sucks just as much.

open; goodbye to you

First few days of the month;

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